Cutting the Cheese

Chad Ward

Chad Ward

Joined
Nov 13, 2001
Messages
234
Sorry for the bad pun (well, not really :D). Anyway, the question is do you or don't you cut cheese with your good knives? I've always been pretty picky about my kitchen knives. About a year ago I walked into the kitchen and found my new wife cutting a thick block of cheddar. I gulped and asked her kindly not to do that anymore. We have a perfectly good cheese slicer for, oddly enough, slicing cheese.

I've always hated having to resharpen the knives after they go through a pound o' gouda -- for some reason, cheese seems to dull them faster than just about anything else. She, of course, thinks I'm anal :rolleyes:. She may be right.

So, do ya or don't ya?

Chad
 
Forgive my spelling here. The only Wursthof in my kitchen full of Henkels is their hard cheese knife. Couldn't pay me to part with it. Since I have beaten everyone I have lived with into submission as far as using the correct knife for the job, I can't remember how quick cheese dulls other knives. This one very rarely needs a sharpening.
 
I use whichever blade comes to hand. It might be a Sam Henson custom paring knife in extremely thin stock that lives on the kitchen counter, a Chicago Cutlery "nine knives plus a steel in a wooden block" blade, my ever-handy Busse from my belt (although at 1/4" it's thick for the job), a Newt Livesay blade, a hollow ground Joyce Chen cleaver shaped chinese veggie knife, a Victorinox $2.95 paring knife, or a table knife if it shows up in hand first. ALL of my knives are considered to be users, so I use them on cheese as well as whatever else needs cutting. I haven't noted that cheese dulls knives any more than other cutting chores.
 
I use whats handy, I just slice slowly to make sure it's a good clean cut. Although it's always good to have a dedicated cheese slicer, I prefer F.Dick's model.
:D
 
And my wife thought I was bad because I won't let her use the knives I've sharpened on plates. I can't wait to tell her I could be worse.

I never worried about cheese before, should I?

Bruce :D
 
If cheese is dulling your knife, it is time to upgrade to better steel. ;)
 
i've noticed that cheese sticks less to my titanium Boker kitchen knife or maybe it's just my imagination...
 
Hard cheeses like a thin knife, but otherwise I don't think cheese dulls knives. More likely its the way one presses the knife into the cutting board after going through the cheese. To solve this problem, I suggest cutting cheese like you perform the hanging rope test. That is, hold the block of cheese in the air and slice through it with a very rapid slash either horizontal or vertical. :D
 
Is this a joke???

I have never heard of a knife that can be hurt by cutting the cheese.... Hard impact with the surface under the cheese might roll an edge... but just cutting cheese??? Is this something that can actually have a significant effect??

What's the next test for dulling our knives... Cutting the Mustard???:confused: :confused

Michael


:
 
Come-on C4!!!! You KNOW that cutting from-unda cheese is VERY DANGEROUS.. That cheese FROM unda-HERE:p :p ;) wolf
 
Okay, the general consensus is that I am indeed a nutjob :D. I can live with that.

The knives in question are Henckels Four Stars sharpened to a razor sharp 15/20 edge. I'm pretty anal about maintaining the edge, and for some reason felt that cheese was harder on them than other media. Dunno why. Could just be the thickness of the blades or the stiction of the cheese that gives the impression of having to force the blade harder than I'd like. Hmm, I wonder if that 400 grit Venezuelan Beaver Cheese might be the culprit :eek:.

I'll have to get a matching cheese knife, though. Those look pretty nifty.

And I really like the hanging rope method of cheese slicing. That'd be quite a kitchen demonstration. Samurai Cheese Shop.

Thanks!
Chad
 
This is fun, Chad, can I join the consensus? :p
...including the part about using an appropriate cutting board.

I just use knife long enough to do the job, or whatever new knife needs some use, including a clean pocket knife. Something sharp and thin is easier such as a Spyderco Moran or in a longer knife a Spyderco Santoku, or any of my regular Zwilling J. A. Henckels kitchen knives. One thing a like about the Santoku shape is that when you press down on it with both hands on something close to the length of the knife, there is no long point to gash your hand if you slip. Of course in the alternative I pick a longer knife. I do have some cheese knives for softer cheeses.

Now of course if you want to really be compulsive....errrr.....I mean have some fun and get to use your Busse. I find that my Natural Outlaw E with the black crinkle finish matches the rough black wax coating on Manchego cheese really well, and thus is a good knife to use. Manchego cheese is a Spanish cheese made with sheep’s milk. I like it and sort of roughly equate it to a sharp cheddar, although the taste is very different. It has a medium taste and is not as hard as a Parmesan. Now that you know what to slice it with, here is something about it http://www.cheesefromspain.com/Q5_Manchego_I.htm They have it at Costco here in Miami, FL., along with other stores.
 
I think if your knife is super sharp, it will get duller a bit after cutting a lot of cheese. But I'm not sure it will continue to dull after a certain point. I like cutting my cheeses with an Opinel #9.

By far, my favorite cheese is Reggiano Parmesagna. It is so hard one may be better off slicing it with a Strider.
 
You are spending some serious money fot the kitchen cutlery you use. Might I humbly suggest that you purchase a cheese cutter? (No, I'm not talking about Tim Herman):D It consists of a steel wire strung between two steel arms with a handle. It cuts precisely and cleanly. It also is easy to clean and you don't have to worry about rolling an edge when you bottom out on the cutting board.Does that sound gouda to you? I camembert wait to hear your results.
David
 
davidb415
Wait no longer. ;) I never had good luck with the wire. Always broke or came off the holder, did not go flat against the cutting board, etc. Thought about fixing it, but mean while my Busse has never broke. The wire worked OK on medium cheeses such as Cheddar.
 
Man oh man, if cheese dulls your knife just think if you had to *gasp* whittle some wood with it some day!

Seriously vato, if cheese is dulling your knife you need a better knife. My Spyderco Wegner works fine for cheese!
 
Never...cut any cheese with a knife! I'm horrified you guys would use our beloved buddies for such tasks :(

I say now...., and cry out..if cheese is dulling our knives...BAN IT as an illegal substance!

Chad :cool: ....your wife is a Goddess to put up with you, and yeah..., you're "Spaghettios"...lol.

I'm getting paranoid now because I did use my favorite Messermeister this evening to cut two pieces of celery :o ....Damn! I'm off to find my India stone ~~> will report back on damage!

Fun thread all :)....see ya...


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
One of my tests for a knife is the cutting cheese test. I usually use a big block of Mozzarella. One of the reasons I don't like small (3") blades is because they're not quite long enough to pass the cheese test. Of the folders I carry, the AFCK is the best cheese slicer - no thumb studs to get in the way (I hate having to clean cheese out of thumb studs).
 
I agree, cutting the cheese is one of my favorite knife excercises.
I usually buy a wheel at the local Italian Market. Toss it in the air and see if I can third it evenly before it hits the table. My wife likes me to remove the table cloth first.
Actually the filet knife works the best, the TNT is a chore to clean if you miss.
Cheers
 
Speaking of cheese, just last week my two little girls split a can of gratted parmesan between them. Ate the whole damn thing!
Kids...you gotta love 'em. :D
 
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